Brazil calls off search for Air France crash victims

(CNN) - The Brazilian military said late Friday it is calling off the search for bodies of passengers and crew from the Air France plane that crashed into the Atlantic earlier this month.

It was unlikely that any more bodies would be found, the military said.

So far, search teams have found 51 of the 228 people who died when Air France Flight 447 plunged into the sea June 1, according to the military.

They have also found more than 600 parts and structural components of the plane, along with luggage, the military said.

The bodies were handed to Brazilian authorities for identification while the debris and luggage were given to French aviation investigators, the military said.

In the 26 days of the search operation, the Brazilian air force used 12 planes along with aircraft from France, the United States and Spain, the military said. The Brazilian navy used 11 ships.

Ships remain in the search area hundreds of miles northeast of Brazil in an effort to find the flight data recorders, the Brazilian military said. The recorders may hold vital clues about the cause of the crash.

– CNN's Claudia Dominguez in Atlanta, Georgia, contributed to this report.